The Imperialists Are Still Alive

The Imperialists are Still Alive is a never-seen-before take on the life of a new-age and modernized Arabic woman, Asya (Elodie Bouchez), who decides to think beyond the constraints that her culture enforces upon her.

But the question that the film’s maker, Zeina Durra, for whom this is a directorial debut, tries to answer, is whether it really is possible for one to break free from all the cultural shackles and live a liberated, free-willed life. Asya is a Middle-Eastern woman, who was born and brought up in Paris and now lives in New York. Despite being deeply linked to her roots, she takes pride in being unconventional, and blatantly mocks the stereotypic image that prevails among western people about Arabic women. She performs daring feats such as being photographed in the nude with her face covered by a scarf, which serves as a perfect reflection of her identity- a woman who, even though modern, wouldn’t dare to reveal her true identity. Asya’s life undergoes a dramatic twist when she meets Javier, a Ph.D candidate of Mexican origin, with whom she instantly falls in love with. Javier helps her to rediscover her true self and gain perspective of her life and her beliefs.

Her true test comes with the disappearance of Faisa, a very close friend, which leads her to grope into the deepest roots of the American system post 9/11, and identify the real cause of the entire turmoil. Amidst it all, she suffers from paranoia, which leads her to believe that she is being followed by someone due to her possession of toy guns, which she immediately decides to get rid of.

The Imperialists Are Still Alive is a work that glues you to itself, the moment you set your eyes on it. It’s a movie that sets itself in the post 9/11 era and shows how America’s war on terror reaches down to the roots of American society, and affects it every passing second.

While doing this, the movie still manages to hold its unusual sense of humor. The movie shows the story of a young and successful visual artist, who is living ‘the high life.’ One night she comes across this realization that her childhood sweetheart is missing on account of CIA’s abduction. On the very same night, she meets another guy, who captures her romantic interests. As she attempts to walk on this tight rope, the movie does a wonderful job of mocking at the current socio-political situation and making you laugh at surprisingly odd situations.